It wasn't long ago that Jon Jones floated the idea of a move to heavyweight into the media, only to have it quickly shut down by UFC President Dana White. Jones, the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion, had work to do, White essentially said, and plenty of challengers were breaking down the door for a shot at his belt.

Fast forward to a current climate that sees Jones preparing to defend his title for a fifth consecutive time, against a man who hasn't fought at light heavyweight in seven years, and the notion of Jones moving up in weight no longer seems so far-fetched.

Participating in an online MetroPCS chat with fans on Tuesday night, White, with Jones by his side, posed the question to the 25-year-old champ.

"I'll definitely move up to heavyweight," Jones responded. "But it'll probably be around 2013. Maybe at the end of 2013."

Jones is currently filming The Ultimate Fighter 17 opposite former middleweight Chael Sonnen in advance of the pair's April 27th title fight.

After which, Jones made it clear he still desires a fight against Dan Henderson in order to wrap up the UFC 151 chapter of his life. Minutes later, "Bones" also expressed interest in fighting rising Swedish contender Alexander Gustafsson in order to quiet critics who complain about his reach advantage.

So while a move to heavyweight is obviously on his mind, Jones' reign at light heavyweight still has plenty of mileage left in the tank.

"Right now I have a nutritionist and I'm starting to take the career a lot more seriously than I used to, so my weight cuts are getting a lot easier," said Jones. "I walk around a lot thinner naturally. Right now I'm at, like, 225 (pounds). That's a 20-pound cut. That's really easy. So I might look bigger than most people when I'm fighting, but I'm really not."